Duck said that at the time of her disappearance, he went to bed around 11 p.m., while she stayed up watching TV, but when he woke up the next morning, Natzke and her car were gone. The next day, her car was discovered in a remote area of the Ouachita National Forest.The vehicle had been burned.

A medical examiner says Natzke died within a few hours of leaving the holiday party. An autopsy says she died from blunt force trauma and drowning.